Biography
Originating from Nottinghamshire in England, Witchfynde ranked among the many early-1980s acts hastily categorized under the New Wave of British Heavy Metal umbrella, even though their sound never matched the intensity suggested by their overblown satanic persona and lyrical references. Their recordings, though steeped in heavy metal elements, revealed an unusual split, veering between crude pub rock workouts and intricate compositions that echoed the progressive rock era of the 1970s.
Witchfynde’s history stretches back to 1975, yet recognition arrived only in late 1979 when vocalist Steve Bridges, guitarist Montalo, bassist Andro Coulton, and drummer Gra Scoresby issued their debut single, “Give ‘Em Hell.” After joining Rondolet Records in early 1980, the group promptly delivered a full-length album sharing that title, whose blatant cover art—featuring a goat-headed devil-monster—may have supplied ideas for future black metal trailblazers Venom. The record’s actual material rarely ventured into extreme territory, however, hovering at the edge of heavy metal while balancing prog rock excess with punk rock directness. The release nonetheless secured a prized opening spot on a United Kingdom tour that summer alongside rapidly ascending NWOBHM headliners Def Leppard, after which Witchfynde recorded their second 1980 album with replacement bassist Pete Surgey. Issued shortly before year’s end, the more mainstream Stagefright softened both the occult visuals and the heavier aspects of their style, underscoring for most listeners that the band’s ties to heavy metal remained loose. Straightforward aggression became the exception rather than the rule as the musicians explored radio-friendly rock and even ill-advised ballads, alienating longtime supporters and spurring the members to amplify their mock-satanic stage antics despite an increasingly muddled musical path.
New vocalist Luther Beltz, briefly performing under the unwise stage name Chalky White, entered the lineup in early 1981 just in time to appear on the BBC’s Friday Rock Show and witness Rondolet’s bankruptcy. A series of flimsy explanations later accounted for Witchfynde’s extended silence until the band resurfaced in 1983 on Expulsion Records with the third album, Cloak and Dagger. Beltz stood out through his frequently abrasive King Diamond-esque falsetto, and the group performed with greater tightness and assurance than before, yet both their music and mystical imagery now seemed thoroughly outdated. The album made little impact, sending the musicians to Mausoleum for another personnel shift—bassist Edd Wolfe—and the unsuccessful 1984 release Lords of Sin. Witchfynde again disappeared, only for their profile to be revived by inclusion in the 1990 compilation N.W.O.B.H.M. ‘79 Revisited and the 1996 retrospective The Best of Witchfynde.
Few observers anticipated the 2001 reunion that followed, which brought a string of live dates, including the band’s first North American shows, plus the new album The Witching Hour featuring Montalo, Surgey, and Scoresby alongside vocalist Harry Harrison. Former frontman Luther Beltz, who had initially participated in the reunion discussions before withdrawing, then assembled a rival Witchfynde lineup and announced plans to perform and record as well. The remaining quartet of Montalo, Surgey, Scoresby, and Harrison continued onward, issuing the 2008 full-length Play It to Death that contained covers of the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black” and Robin Trower’s “Shame the Devil” alongside eight original tracks. Later that year Beltz rejoined the fold and Harrison departed, with the group declaring in January 2010 that Beltz had returned “for good.”
Witchfynde’s history stretches back to 1975, yet recognition arrived only in late 1979 when vocalist Steve Bridges, guitarist Montalo, bassist Andro Coulton, and drummer Gra Scoresby issued their debut single, “Give ‘Em Hell.” After joining Rondolet Records in early 1980, the group promptly delivered a full-length album sharing that title, whose blatant cover art—featuring a goat-headed devil-monster—may have supplied ideas for future black metal trailblazers Venom. The record’s actual material rarely ventured into extreme territory, however, hovering at the edge of heavy metal while balancing prog rock excess with punk rock directness. The release nonetheless secured a prized opening spot on a United Kingdom tour that summer alongside rapidly ascending NWOBHM headliners Def Leppard, after which Witchfynde recorded their second 1980 album with replacement bassist Pete Surgey. Issued shortly before year’s end, the more mainstream Stagefright softened both the occult visuals and the heavier aspects of their style, underscoring for most listeners that the band’s ties to heavy metal remained loose. Straightforward aggression became the exception rather than the rule as the musicians explored radio-friendly rock and even ill-advised ballads, alienating longtime supporters and spurring the members to amplify their mock-satanic stage antics despite an increasingly muddled musical path.
New vocalist Luther Beltz, briefly performing under the unwise stage name Chalky White, entered the lineup in early 1981 just in time to appear on the BBC’s Friday Rock Show and witness Rondolet’s bankruptcy. A series of flimsy explanations later accounted for Witchfynde’s extended silence until the band resurfaced in 1983 on Expulsion Records with the third album, Cloak and Dagger. Beltz stood out through his frequently abrasive King Diamond-esque falsetto, and the group performed with greater tightness and assurance than before, yet both their music and mystical imagery now seemed thoroughly outdated. The album made little impact, sending the musicians to Mausoleum for another personnel shift—bassist Edd Wolfe—and the unsuccessful 1984 release Lords of Sin. Witchfynde again disappeared, only for their profile to be revived by inclusion in the 1990 compilation N.W.O.B.H.M. ‘79 Revisited and the 1996 retrospective The Best of Witchfynde.
Few observers anticipated the 2001 reunion that followed, which brought a string of live dates, including the band’s first North American shows, plus the new album The Witching Hour featuring Montalo, Surgey, and Scoresby alongside vocalist Harry Harrison. Former frontman Luther Beltz, who had initially participated in the reunion discussions before withdrawing, then assembled a rival Witchfynde lineup and announced plans to perform and record as well. The remaining quartet of Montalo, Surgey, Scoresby, and Harrison continued onward, issuing the 2008 full-length Play It to Death that contained covers of the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black” and Robin Trower’s “Shame the Devil” alongside eight original tracks. Later that year Beltz rejoined the fold and Harrison departed, with the group declaring in January 2010 that Beltz had returned “for good.”
Albums
